The SoundTraxx new Econami decoder documentation is available.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals.php
The only…and I mean ONLY advancement they made…according to the manual…is the support of CV 5 and 6. Everything else looks like a rehash from the Surroundtraxx System.
It is being discussed quite a lot on the Yahoo SoundTraxx DCC Group.
Try one before passing judgement.
Rich
No…I will not waste my money as it has the exact same sound files and format as past products. What’s new to try here? From what I see, It looks as though Soundtraxx is trying to squeeze the last bit of water from its decade long product before it comes out with its next generation decoder.
We actually already had this discussion…
They ARE smaller than the micro-Tsunami, and rated at 1 amp instead of .75 amp, so the improved the main chip somewhat - the chip completely filled the width of the micro-Tsu board, so if these are smaller, that chip has to be smaller. Yet can handle higher current.
The real key is if they are the same recordings or not. If they are, then the horns will continue to be weak. The new price point though, compared to the others, is what the Tsunami ought to be selling for, Loksound has been undercutting them for some time now.
–Randy
Some CVs have been redefined
An example:
Tsunami CV 119 Effect Processor Select
CV 119 selects an Effect Processor which may be programmed via CVs 120 to 127, which are then used for individual controls. This CV is used in situations where a cab cannot access CVs numbered above 128.
Econami CV 119 Max Engine Recovery Speed
CV 119 is used to designate the speed to which the motor will resume after momentary power-losses. The recovery speed can be determined as a speed step (absolute) or a percentage of maximum speed (proportional).
Some n****ew CVs
An example:
Tsunami CV 211 not used
Econami CV 211 Low-Speed Compensation
CV 211 is used to specify the gain value that is applied to the PID motor equation at low speeds to compensate for irregularities that occur during low-speed operation. Values from 0 to 255 may be entered to adjust low-speed motor operation
For any JMRI users out there, a decoder definition file has been created for the Econami.
It’s currently in the “Files” section of the JMRI Yahoo! Group if you want to install it manually, and it should be in the upcoming JMRI 4.1.1 release.
“Note: Econami does not require a programming track booster, such as the PTB-100.”
Quote from SoundTraxx Econami User’s Guide
I thought the “advancement” as the name implies, is the price. Or am I not “getting it”? Old street price was around $8x, new street price $6x. Thus, economical?
Personally I have to snicker at the names the companies are coming up with these days, like “Wow”, and “Econami” … the latter sort of has a euro sort of spelling seems sort of goofy to me. I married to a Brit and she gives me a perspective I didn’t used to have and I’ve noticed that many things marketed as “Euro” in America are really not Euro much at all. Now my wife observes things all the time she sees that are strange and odd and she has a saying that really says it all - “only in America!” Now America is really good at some things but at others … like the naming conventions are sometimes really funky or goofy so I have to say often she is right sometimes.
Being discussed quite a lot in the Yahoo SoundTraxx forum with many SoundTraxx users.
Also, one persons experience below.
Experience, not opinion.
The ECO-100 is smaller (27 x 10.5 x 5mm) Tsunami Micro sister. One of the nice things about this decoder is its easy programming and the newly added auxiliary FX 3 and 4 outputs. The Tsunami Micro only had the front and rear light outputs so generally an additional function decoder was needed to animate custom lighting. Included sounds are similar but the fireman Fred sounds are mostly gone. There is a watering sound sequence and a whistle road crossing sequence that is always welcome. Loco sounds are still there and add a lot of variety. The really nice thing is that there are multiple loco types within a single decoder so one decoder can be used from a 4-4-0 on up to an articulated. The Steam decoder has 16 whistles to choose from. Use of the on board equalizer is the same as the Tsunami so the overall sound can be tailored to individual taste. This decoder fixes the start, mid and high volts settings and now has the usual CVs 2, 5 & 6 to custom tailor the motor response. Driver chuff sync is a bit challenging but for N Scale steam. DDE is also similar to the Tsunami Micro.
The decoder continues the Soundtraxx tradition of a solid wired sound decoder now at a very reasonable price structure. The price is a keeper at MSRP 79.95.
Rich
Just to mess with the Soundtraxx supporters[swg], the Loksound Select Micro sells for $81.99 and while it is almost exactly the same width and length, it is thinner than the Econami by 1.2mm (24%).
Nobody has mentioned heat buildup. Does the Econami get hot like I believe other Soundtraxx decoders do? The Loksound Micro doesn’t generate enough heat to bother anything.
Granted the Loksound Micro is only .75 amp but nothing that I have put the Loksound into has ever come close to needing more amperage than the decoder can supply.
For my money, I will stick with Loksound. They work great!
There! That ought to stir the pot a bit![:-^][swg]
Dave
Dave,
At least your not insisting there’s ONLY been one change. [:o)]
Loksound has a good product from what I hear, but just never needed anything other than a Tsunami and that hasn’t been recently.
Of course, in HOn3 I’m in a bit of a captive audience. Cost of decoder is already rolled into the loco cost. The package remains an outstanding value and I personally have seen no need to replace perfectly good decoders.[;)]
I’d have to buy more brass to develop a need for more steam decoders and that won’t be anytime soon. Now, a dozen EMD diesel decoders could be put to use, but the budget isn’t there for that right now, even for economical ones.
Then there’s the fact that my decoder volume is turned way down. People want to make a big deal of minor differences, but they’re there to provide background noise for the most part the way I see it, not be the star of my model showcase.
But I know how it is when you wanna rock[{(-_-)}]
I, too, am curious about the heat issue. My TSU-750-equipped locos are babied by running 12.5 volts and that makes a big difference. I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect that the Econami is built on what is basically the low end version of what will be the new nextgen Tsunami. Given it’s likely the version with the least HP under the hood, it’s probably got a slow clock speed, etc, that should run pretty cool on a chassis set up to keep the faster stuff chilled that will be coming along soon. My best guess there, so we’ll have to see how close I actually am.
Hi Mike:
Each to his own! I really didn’t intend to put down Soundtraxx’s products. I have a couple of the old LCD-100s and I’m quite happy with them. I certainly don’t intend to replace them any time soon, if ever.
Dave
Dave,
Nah, I didn’t take it that way. I just wanted to point out there’s many things at work in one’s decisions about sound decoders.
Sometimes this sort of discussion gets wildly off track, sort of like talking about cars. Sure, I’d LIKE to have a shiny new Porsche 911 Turbo, but I feel very lucky to be driving a 97 LandCruiser – and also that I’m not missing much from meeting my expectations. You can tell some folks – not you – have a pretty chronic case of decoder insecurity[swg] or they hope to persuade someone else that they should have one.[(-D]
My dog is just too lazy to get into that fight [&] [#dots]
And the Soundtraxx Econami sells for $64.
Yeah, that’s street price. Dave was using the MSRP because he was comparing the Loksound MSRP to the Econami MSRP someone cited in the post before his. I suspect the Loksound decoder is around $65 with the usual discounts applied. basically they;re the same price, it just depends what your preference in features and brand is.
Plus I think you need something to load sounds into the Loksound if you want something other than the factory ones. The Econami offers different choices on the decoder, but there is no uploadable capability. As I mentioned in another post, it wouldn’t surprise me if the next gen Tsunami has uploadable capability when it hits the market. The Econami is a half step in that direction from previous Soundtraxx decoders.
No, Dave was quoting street price, that’s why I mentioned the street price of the Econami. The MSRP on the select micro is $99.99.
OK, thanks for the correction. So the Econami is about 20% cheaper than the Loksound. That does make a difference for some people.
Any of the name resellers will load your choice of sound on Loksound decoders. Anything in their library.
Upload IS the way to go, another reason I’ve come to not think Tsunamis are so awesome. If my dealer is out of a TSU-AT1000 EMD First Gen, I’m stalled. Can’t put a decoder in my loco. If I have a Loksounbd loaded with Alco 251 and I’ve set that loco aside and instead want to get an EMD FT running, I can simply swap the Alco sounds for an EMD 567 and continue on my way.
Yes, you need proprietary hardware. Same with any of the loadable decoders - QSI and Digitrax. But many DCC systems need a program track booster just to set CVs on Tsunamis. Loksound decoders don;t need that. However, for the same price at the program track boosters, you can get the Lokprogrammer unit and not only change out the sounds, but also read and write all the CVs (and there are thousands) in a couple of minutes. Far faster than any DCC system with or without a program track booster, even faster than SPROG, which is one of the fastest programming devices there is.
–Randy
My Econami-100 diesel decoder gets EXTREMELY hot within 6 seconds of being put onto the track, and a little red light comes on, in addition to the blue light. The sounds don’t come on. I suspect something got screwed up with the decoder.
Onto LokSound for me!